Huanghua Zi is a common medicinal herb in the family Malvaceae, genus Abelmoschus. It is distributed in the southern part of China. It has a sweet and slightly bitter taste, a mild fragrance, and is neutral in nature and non-toxic. It is mainly used to treat injuries from falls or blows, chest and rib pain, hepatitis, jaundice, and other conditions.
【Chinese Name】
Chinese Name: Huanghua Zi
Pinyin: Huánɡ Huā Zǎi
【Aliases of Huanghua Zi】
Aliases: Xixue Cao (Folk Medicinal Herbs of Southern Fujian), Suozi Cao (Practical Medicinal Herbs).
【Origin of Huanghua Zi】
Huanghua Zi is derived from the leaves or roots of the Malvaceae plant Abelmoschus moschatus or Abelmoschus manihot.
【Morphology of Huanghua Zi】
① Abelmoschus moschatus
A perennial herb with an erect and branching stem covered in sticky hairs. When rubbed, it has a putrid smell and can grow up to 0.3 to 1 meter tall.
The leaves are alternate, broadly ovate-heart-shaped, 3 centimeters long, with a gradually pointed apex and blunt teeth along the edges. The upper leaves are usually rectangular or ovate-rectangular, with both sides covered in sticky, star-shaped, and sparse hairs. The petiole is 1 to 4 centimeters long, and the stipules are stiff and hair-like.
The flowers are axillary, solitary or clustered in pairs, or several flowers clustered on short branches in the axils of leaves, forming a false cyme. The pedicel is slender and has a node near the middle.
The calyx is green, 5-lobed, and sparsely hairy. The corolla is yellow, about 1 centimeter in diameter, with the upper part divided and the lower part fused with the staminal tube. There are multiple stamens and 5 pistils, each about 2.5 millimeters long, smooth, without reticulations or awns. It blooms in winter and grows by the roadside. It is distributed in the southern part of China.
② Abelmoschus manihot
The morphology is similar to the previous species, but it is a subshrub herbaceous plant. When rubbed, it does not have a putrid smell. It is densely covered in soft hairs and mixed with extended long hairs. The leaves are ovate, with a heart-shaped base, and covered in star-shaped soft hairs on both sides. The pistils have wrinkles, with 2 long awns protruding from the calyx, and are covered in inverted hairs.
It is distributed in the southern part of China.
